With offensive line banged-up, Seahawks offense has to adjust

The Seattle Seahawks played the NFL’s No. 1 defense missing three of its five starting offensive lineman. And they won. So that should mean smooth sailing for the rest of the season, right?

Pete Caroll will rely on Michael Bowie (right) and Paul McQuistan (left) while the offensive line deals with injuries. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Not so fast.

Sunday’s win against the Texans was impressive, but in a league of week-to-week — not to mention in-game — adjustments, you can bet that opposing defenses will look to exploit the absences of left tackle Russell Okung, right tackle Breno Giacomini and center Max Unger, if he misses any more time.

How can the Seahawks continue to adjust with reserves James Carpenter, Lemuel Jeanpierre and Michael Bowie in the starting lineup? We’ll break it down.

1. Run, run, run

The Seahawks rank last in the league in passing attempts and second in rushing attempts. That shouldn’t change, especially next week against an Indianapolis Colts defense ranked No. 7 in the NFL against the pass.

Marshawn Lynch ranks fourth in the league with 79 rushing attempts through three games, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Against the Texans, he tied his season high with 98 yards, but 45 of them came on one carry in the first half. If the Seahawks want to be successful on offense, they need to get the ground game going.

With backup linemen in, repetition is key for the Hawks. Pounding away at a defense again and again should eventually open up holes for Lynch or backups Robert Turbin and Christine Michael, who — with only 15 and nine carries so far, respectively — should be able to shoulder the load if necessary.

2. Go short

Russell Wilson has been under pressure 44.6 percent of his snaps this season, behind only Michael Vick (at 46.5 percent). He’s also been sacked 13 times, good for ninth-worst in the league. So what’s the antidote for a quarterback constantly under siege?

Short routes.

The Seahawks are last in the league in pass attempts per game, but near the top in yards per attempt. If they want to keep Wilson upright, that second number should come down. Short, quick routes mean less time for defenders to get to the quarterback.

It’s true that quick routes can limit the big-play capabilities of an offense and, frankly, these are the kinds of plays Percy Harvin is built for. If he comes back approximating the player the Hawks expected him to be when they acquired him, Harvin can add a dimension that will take a lot of pressure off of his quarterback.

3. Turn Russell loose

I’ll admit it’s a bit counter-intuitive to advocate for a quarterback to run the ball to keep himself safe, but hear me out. A few more designed runs for Wilson mean that pass-rushers — like Indy’s Robert Mathis, whom the Seahawks face on Sunday, and his league-leading 7.5 sacks — are less likely to sprint upfield to take the quarterback’s head off.

If a draw or bootleg early in the game plants just enough doubt in a defender’s mind to slow him down a millisecond, the price is well worth it — provided head coach Pete Carroll, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Co. get in Wilson’s ear and remind him to avoid big hits at all cost.

Are any of these solutions a silver bullet for a Hawks offense with a patchwork offensive line? No. But if the Seahawks, with reserves on the O-line, want to move the ball and keep their franchise quarterback off the turf, they’ll need to adjust somehow.